Assignment 4

What is a growing concern related to sea level rise?

Eroding shorelines in coastal areas

Which of the following will have the least impact on rising sea level?

Melting of the polar ice cap

When examining the Keeling Curve in the accompanying graph, one notices a "zigzag" upward- moving curve. What do these small up and down movements indicate? (Graph)

Seasonal cycles in CO2 concentrations

A climate model is

a mathematical representations of a system

Albedo, or reflectivity, is expressed as a percentage. Materials like __________ have a low albedo while _________ have a high albedo.

asphalt; snow

One of the assumptions of the one- layer model is that the atmosphere acts as a ____________

blackbody, giving off energy

By knowing the Earth's solar constant and position relative to the sun and other planets, we can infer

how much energy is received by other planets

In this graph, which depicts the ENSO effects for Los Angeles, the El Niño conditions can be seen to coincide with ________.

increased rainfall

The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is transparent in the Earth's atmosphere is

visible

Radiative forcing is defined as any factor's effect on the energy balance of the atmosphere- ocean- land system. Where positive forcing leads to ________ and negative forcing leads to __________.

warming; cooling

Based on the information provided in the diagram, when have the warmest years on Earth occurred? (Graph)

1999-2009

Components of the Earth Energy Budget include

Albedo, the solar constant, and greenhouse gas abundance

The greenhouse gas that has been the most directly connected to the combustion of fossil fuels is ________ and the greenhouse gas that has stabilized in the lower atmosphere is ________.

CO2; CFC

Annual CO2e emissions are greatest in ________. (Graph)

China

A cooling of surface ocean waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean is known specifically as ________.

La Niña

All parts of the Earth do not receive the same amount of radiation.

The tropics receive the most direct sunlight

Which of the following is a cause of natural climate change?

Volcanic eruptions

Which greenhouse gas is most abundant naturally?

Water vapor

Which of the following is the most abundant natural greenhouse gas?

Water vapor

The troposphere gets ______________ while the stratosphere gets _____________.

colder with altitude; warmer with altitude

Impacts of global warming include all of the following except ________.

decrease in mortality because winter is warmer

Without the insulation of Greenhouse gases, the Earth's temperature would be _________ than it is today.

much lower

In order to receive the most of the sun's energy, the surface receiving the energy must be _________ to the rays

perpendicular

Other variations that influence albedo are

sun angle surface texture latitude variation All of the above

The textbook describes a one- layer model as increasing the Earth's temperature, the one- layer refers to

the greenhouse gas layer